Automatic pin-coupling.



G. L. HOWARD.

AUTOMATIC PIN GOUPLING.

APPLIQATION FILED 111111.11, 1913.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

@num/pto@ fichar/a5 l. .J'o o nd T pnrTnn sTnTns raTnnT orTTcri oHAnLns L. HOWARD, or GAPAY, cALiroRNIA.

AUTIVIA'LIC PIN-COUPLING.

To all whom t may concern: e

B'e it known that I, CHARLES L. HOWARD, a citizen of the'United States, residing at Capay, in the county of Yolo and State of California, have rinvented new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Pin-Couplings, of which the following is a. speeiication.y

This invention relates to automatic pin couplings' :tor vehicles, and while intended primarily for use on traction engines, may be applied and will operate with equal itacility upon railway cars and all other vehicles upon which pin couplings are used or j desired. .l

The objectk of the invention is to generally improvendevices of this character with a view to simplicity, strength and economy in construction, and ease' and certainty in i automatic operation.

4vao

. lilith this object in view, the invention fconsistsin' the improved construction, arj rangement and combination ot the parts ot an automatic coupling for vehicles, all as hereinafter fully described and afterwardy specihcally` claimed. j In ordery that its construction and opera- Ation maybe readily comprehended, I will now proceed to fully y.describe my rinvention in connectionfwith the accompanying drawing, which illustrates` an approved embodiment thereof and in which- Figure l represents 'a sectionalview taken on theplane indicated by the broken linesv l, l, of Fig. 3, looking downward as indi-` cated by the arrow, the parts being in position to be automatically operated by being' moved `againsta pin in the other vehicle to be coupled; Fig. 2 represents a similar view with the parts in their coupled position and locked against accidental uncoupling; Fig. 3 represents a view in side elevation with the parts coupled; 'and Fig. et represents in a top plan view, one of the jaws detached.v Like reference characters mark the same parts in all 4of the iigures.

Referring speci-tica-llyr to the drawings 5 indicates a drawbar hof any approved material and construction, and ywhich may'form j a permanentpart of the `vehicle upon which Specicaton of Letters Patent.

the invention may be used, or' detachable therefrom and used upon another vehicle,.as may be desired.

The` coupling illustrated comprises y Patented Feb. 9, 15H5. 1 Application filed March 11,19713. Serial No. b7153,532. i I

drawhead formed integral with the draw- 'i vbar 5 by bifurcating the latter at its outer end thus forming upper and lower plates 6, 6,'separated by a space 7 a suiiicient distanceto Vreceive two coupling jaws 8 and 9 which are pivotally mounted between thev4 plates 6, 6, by pins 1Q and ll located near the outer edges of the jaws and plates. The plates 6, 6 are alike in construction, each vbeing slotted centrally and longitudinally in their outer ends, at 1Q, forming thereby two pairs of complemental shoulders 13,'

the inner faces of the outer ends of' which are outwardly beveled to provide guides for 16 bearing at its outer end against a shoul- 1 der 17 on the latch l5 and at its inner end upon the bottom of the recess le. This latch Y is slotted transversely at 17a to permit of the passage of an operating bar or handle 18' pivoted in a transverse recess 19 in the drawbar on a pin 20 and projecting through a recess 2l beyond the side of the drawbar,

said recess' 2l being of suiiicienty width to permit oscillation of the bar 18 tar enough to withdrawthe latch bar entirely intoits containing recess let and outk of the space 7. The outer ends of the jaws S and 9 are rounded oil?, as at 22 and extend beyond the central longitudinal axes of the plates 6, 6,

each entirely crossing the slots l2 in saidl plates, but lying within the yplane of the outerends of the shoulders 13 each jaw being notched on its inner edge, as `at 23,

forming theouter ends into hooks 24 having space F.between the plates 6, 6, and thejaws adjusted so that their inner ends are` crossed over toward the edges'ofthe plates 6, 6,'op-

posite tokr those near which the pivot pins 1U, c

'1.1farelecatedffar en ough to bring the beveledcorners 27 outside of the end of the latch, and the curved outer ends of the ,plates the shouldei'si'l', is pressed upon thehooks 24, and these 'hooks being free to moveon 'and hooks slightly overlapping (or itfmight beenti'rely separated), the vehicle carrying ythe .coupling is moved toward the one tol lwhich it is to becoupled 'until' a coupling pin 30, guidedby the `beveledffixed faces yof their pivots, they pin `30 presses the hooks apart and vpasses in between them. The con- .tinued/ movement of thepin 30 betweenthe hooks brings it into contact with the inner kfaces 26lof the notches 25 in the jaws, and

i pressure againstfsaid faces, presses the bevmovedin a direction to. allow the hoolrs'to.

. Veledinnerends 2T of the jaws against the l outerv end ofthe latch 15, moving said latch upward until; theinnerends of the jaws pass tothe opposite sides of the latch to the positions shown in 2. Any inward pressure ofthe pinv 30 now, will cause the edges 28 to ,bein contact-,with the sides of the latch and prevent fthe jaws from being part'and release Athe 'pinQ When however. it

i tween them. Upon release ofthe latch han- '55l Vthe space'7,in thefp'ositi'on 'shownfin Figs.

is desired tore'lease the pin to uncouple the vehicle, it will onlylbe necessary Vto move 4the vlatch handle bar 18inwardthus pressing` the latch inward against fthe'stress 0f the spring, until the outerend of the latch no longer proj ectsfi'ntof the space 7, when the jaws will bev free to rocken their pivots, andv `anyso'ut-ward pressureof .the coupling pin l30 against the inner rfaces 25 of the hooks 24 willrock the jaws y'and separate the hooks, allowing the couplingpi'n topassout bedle,'the latch will'be pressed outward into l and 2, with jaws in position to again automatically couple two vehicles together.

While l have :specifically described the construction, ,location and operation ofthe severalparts of my improvedy coupling, it

v` kwill befobvious yto those skilled in the art that slight ,changesl and modications .mayV

'be made therein without departing from the spiritl and scopefof the invention 'as claimed.

yinner ywalls goffthe notches will cause the in- Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new and desire tolsecure by Letters Patent of. the United States is.

l. An automatic coupling comprising a drawhead having upper and lower plates with a space between them, superpo'sed jaws in said space havingnotches in their inner edges with .forwaij'd and reark walls at right. angles to the length of the jaws forming overlapping hooks, a' spring klatch projecting into the inner end ofthe space between the jaws, fand beveled cornersat -the inner ends, of the jaws, whereby inward pressure on the 'inner wallsof the notches will cause the inner ends of Lthe j aws to pass 'from' one side of the latch lto the' other, and lock the hooks inboupling position.,v e

, 2. AnV automatic coupling .comprising ay drawh'ead having'upper and lower plates with va v space between them, superposed jaws 'in said 'space having notches inftheirinner edges with vforward and rear wallsat right angles tothe length ofthe jaws formingl overlapping hooks, a spring latch proj ecting into 'the inner end of thefspace between they jaws,beveled corners at the inner ends of the jaws whereby inward pressure on the ner ends of the jaws t0.y pass from one side ends of the jawsopposite-to the beveled Y corners being adapted 7to engage the latch and prevent their :return 3. An automatic coupling vcon'iprising al draw head provided with a longitudinal, recess and-.havin'g upper and lowerspaeed plates terminating leach in a pairfof spaced i 4outwardly beveledl shoulders, alatch Aseated in vthe recess, a springoperating normally louter edges of the plates, the jawsat'their inner ends yeach having'on'one' side'a bev- 115 .el'ed corner topass over the latch when moved infone direction, and on the other l*side aface inline with the length of the `jaws to` engage the latch and prevent movement. in the opposite direction. y

4l. lna car coupling, fin combination, a housing, oppositely arranged forwardly eX- tending arms formed lupon said housing, aliningspaced apart pivots mounted upon said arms, two lever jaws, rightangularly vdisposedhoolrs formed-,jupon said lever jaws,v said hooks beingeccentrically fulcrumed upony said pivots, eachk of said leverI jawsheing formed at its Vinner ends lwithbppositely beveledy edges `merging with curvilinear V95 vof the latch 'to the other,v the faces of the edges, e sldable member projecting between In testimony whereof, I afx my signathedcurvlllnelr edges olf sd jaws ohholld ture in presence of two witnesses.

sfu jaw oo sincose re ation, sai oo s being separated to cause the beveled edges CHARLES L' HOWARD of said jaws to engage the diagonally oppo- Witnesses: site edges of said slidable member, and E. J. MEZGER, means for guiding said sldable member. GEO. S. TANDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

